Today's News-Friday, May 7, 2010

CRASH
TWO PEOPLE WERE INJURED IN A CRASH IN NORTHERN BERKS COUNTY. STATE POLICE AT HAMBURG NOW SAY THAT A 16 YEAR OLD TEENAGED BOY FROM PINE GROVE WAS STOPPED AT THE OFF RAMP ON I-78 AT EXIT 19 WHEN HIS VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED BY A CAR OPERATED BY 75 YEAR OLD CLYDE SMITH OF LANDISBURG. THE TEEN AND A PASSENGER, 48 YEAR OLD KATHY FERGUSON OF PINE GROVE WERE HURT AND TAKEN TO SCHUYLKILL MEDICAL CENTER FOR TREATMENT. THAT CRASH HAPPENED TUESDAY.

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER
THURSDAY WAS NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER. SHERRY MARCHEFSKY REPORTS FROM POTTTSVILLE YUENGLING BICENTENNIAL PARK:

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

ASSUALT
A MAN FROM POTTSVILLE WAS ASSAULTED NEAR MINERSVILLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE STATE POLICE REPORT THAT 29 YEAR OLD NICHOLAS CARLTON WAS BEATEN IN THE PARKING LOT OF AMIGO'S RESTAURANT AROUND 10:30PM. HE REPORTEDLY SUFFERED HEAD AND FACIAL INJURIES. HE WAS TAKEN TO GEISINGER MEDICAL CENTER, TREATED THEN RELEASED. TROOPERS ARE LOOKING FOR THOSE PERSONS WHO COMMITTED THE CRIME.

AGGRESSIVE DRIVING ENFORCEMENT
PENNDOT AND LAW ENFORCEMENT WILL BE CONDUCTING AN AGGRESSIVE DRIVING BLITZ TODAY ON AREA ROADWAYS. POLICE WILL BE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO SPEED, TAILGATE AND THOSE WHO DRIVE AGGRESSIVELY ON ROADWAYS BETWEEN 3 AND 9PM TODAY. THE NORTH CENTRAL HIGHWAY SAFETY NETWORK IS COORDINATING THE EFFORT.

KAREN'S HEROES
CONSERVATION AND THE OUTDOORS WERE THE TOPICS AT THE KAREN'S HEROES PRESENTATION YESTERDAY AT POTTSVILLE'S JOHN S. CLARKE ELEMENTARY. SHERRY MARCHEFSKY HAS THE DETAILS:

KAREN'S HEROES PORCUPINE PAT

TALENT SHOW
A FUN NIGHT FOR TEENS AND FAMILIES ALIKE IS ON TAP FOR SATURDAY NIGHT AT NORTH SCHUYLKILL HIGH SCHOOL, A TALENT SHOW. NORTH SCHUYLKILL LOOP, A PARENT SPONSORED ORGANIZATION IS HOSTING THE EVENT. ORGANIZER DANA ORAVITZ:

DANA ORAVITZ

THE TALENT SHOW BEGINS AT 6PM TOMORROW NIGHT, WITH ACTING, SINGING, DANCING AND COMEDY ACTS IN STORE. ADMISSION IS ONLY TWO DOLLARS. SO GRAB THE FAMILY AND HEAD ON OUT TO NORTH SCHUYLKILL HIGH SCHOOL SATURDAY NIGHT.

HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) - SENATE CANDIDATE JOE SESTAK IS AIRING HIS FIRST TV ATTACK AD IN HIS BID TO UNSEAT FIVE-TERM INCUMBENT ARLEN SPECTER. THE AD SUGGESTS DEMOCRATS CAN'T TRUST THE FORMER REPUBLICAN WHO SWITCHED PARTIES LAST YEAR. THE SHOWS FOOTAGE OF SPECTER BEING ENDORSED BY PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH IN 2004. SPECTER HAS THE BACKING OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA IN THIS CAMPAIGN.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - SERVICE HAS BEEN RESTORED ON A REGIONAL RAIL LINE IN PHILADELPHIA AFTER A TRAIN HIT A CAR AT A CROSSING. THE ACCIDENT STOPPED SERVICE FOR NEARLY TWO HOURS. A WOMAN IN THE CAR SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES, BUT NO ONE ON THE TRAIN WAS HURT.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - POLICE IN PITTSBURGH SAY TWO PEOPLE ARE HURT AFTER A CAR PLUNGED SEVERAL STORIES FROM A DOWNTOWN PARKING GARAGE LAST NIGHT. AUTHORITIES SAY THE TWO PASSENGERS WERE RESCUED FROM THE CAR AND TAKEN TO HOSPITALS.

CLAYSVILLE, PA. (AP) - THE BODY OF A SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA SOLDIER KILLED WHILE ON SNIPER DUTY IN AFGHANISTAN IS SCHEDULED TO RETURN TODAY. THE OBSERVER-REPORTER SASYS ARMY SERGEANT NATHAN KENNEDY OF CLAYSVILLE WAS KILLED LAST WEEK WHEN HIS UNIT WAS ATTACKED. HIS BODY IS TO BE FLOWN FROM DOVER AIR FORCE BASE IN DELAWARE TO A WASHINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA, AIRPORT. THREE DAYS OF SERVICES ARE SCHEDULED.

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) - IT'S A VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA FOR A 100-TON CONCRETE-AND-STEEL BOX HEADED A MILE DOWN IN AN UNPRECEDENTED ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE GUSHING OIL FROM A BLOWN-OUT WELL. THE CONTAINMENT VESSEL IS DESIGNED TO COLLECT AS MUCH AS 85 PERCENT OF THE OIL SPEWING INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO AND FUNNEL IT UP TO A TANKER, HOPEFULLY MITIGATING THE EFFECTS OF THE SPILL.

WASHINGTON (AP) - THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR APRIL IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN UNCHANGED AT 9.7 PERCENT WHEN OFFICIAL FIGURES ARE RELEASED
THIS MORNING. BUT ECONOMISTS PREDICT THE NATION WILL HAVE ADDED ABOUT 200,000 JOBS TO THE ROSTER. THE CONCERN IS THE SPREADING DEBT CRISIS IN EUROPE AND ITS EFFECT ON WALL STREET MIGHT DAMPEN FURTHER JOB GAINS.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A CALIFORNIA PROTEST OF ARIZONA'S NEW IMMIGRATION LAW HAS RESULTED IN MORE THAN A DOZEN ARRESTS. LOS ANGELES POLICE MADE THE ARRESTS AFTER THE PEOPLE CHAINED THEMSELVES TOGETHER ON A DOWNTOWN STREET. PROTEST SPOKESMAN NELSON MOTTO SAYS 14 ACTIVISTS LOCKED THEMSELVES IN A CIRCLE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND LAY DOWN IN FRONT OF FEDERAL IMMIGRATION DETENTION CENTER, BLOCKING TRAFFIC FOR ABOUT FOUR HOURS.

DUBLIN (AP) - A 1,000-MILE-WIDE VOLCANIC ASH CLOUD FROM ICELAND IS NOW OFF THE WEST COAST OF IRELAND AND IT'S FORCING WESTERN IRISH AIRPORTS TO SHUT DOWN AGAIN TODAY. IRISH AVIATION OFFICIALS SAY THE CLOUD IS GROWING BOTH IN WIDTH AND HEIGHT BY THE HOUR. DUBLIN'S AIRPORT AND OTHERS IN THE SOUTH WILL REMAIN OPEN.

NEW YORK (AP) - THE ORGANIZATION THAT REPRESENTS 40 MILLION AMERICANS OVER AGE 50 SAYS ITS SURVEY SHOWS AMERICANS 45 AND OLDER ARE HAVING LESS SEX AND IT'S NOT AS MUCH FUN. ANOTHER KEY FINDING OF THE AARP SURVEY IS THAT RESPONDENTS ARE FAR MORE OPEN TO SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE THAN THEY WERE 10 YEARS AGO.